If you are dreaming of getting off the beaten track in Egypt, this extraordinary fertile basin, in the remote Western Desert, is the stuff of your imagination.
Lying on average 18m below sea level, the isolated Siwa Oasis is dotted with olive groves, palm trees and warm, clear springs, and bordered by the Great Sand Sea that rolls into the distance. Passing through the mud-brick hamlets is like winding back the clock, with as many donkey carts as motorbikes and cars crawling through the streets.